Men's Tennis Keeps Rolling with Win Over Bates

Author: Sean Breen

Troubled by his aching arm, Mike DiRaimondo '05 has hung in the shadows of the men's tennis team's young stars this year. Nevertheless, this past weekend, in what might have been his last foray with competitive collegiate tennis, DiRaimondo managed to conquer the odds and rose to the occassion in a way that warmed the heart.

DiRaimondo paired up with Ari Beilin '06 to take on the rest of the field at this past weekend's Wallach Tennis Invitational at Bates College.

"I was excited to play with him [DiRaimondo], but it was just going to be for fun," commented Beilin. "We didn't expect anything."

Beilin and DiRaimondo, however, stormed the Doubles "A" Flight Division, first knocking out Bates' top-seeded duo of William Boe-Wiegaard and Sam Duvall in the quarterfinals. Next, the two worked their way out of a 5-2 deficit to beat the third seeded team of Perahya and Keller of Tufts by 9-7.

"It was really the highlight of the week," said Beilin. "I am so happy for [DiRaimondo]."

Beilin also captured the Singles "A" Flight Championship, giving him two titles for the weekend. Seeded second, he easily advanced past the third-seeded Patrick Keneally of Bowdoin 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals, to set up a finals match with Bates sophomore Boe-Weigaard. Boe-Wiegaard is ranked 19th nationally by College Tennis Online and was seeded first in the "A" Draw.

"I really took advantage of every break chance I got," explained Beilin, who won five-of-seven break points to beat Boe-Wiegaard 6-3, 6-4 and claim the title. "I let those first two [break points] slip away in the first game, but after that I think I broke [Boe-Wiegaard's] serve every time."

Boe-Wiegaard had a outstanding .789 first serve percentage, but Beilin dominated his second serve, winning 9 of 12 points. While Beilin had just a .643 first serve percentage, he was much more successful with his second serve, winning 12 of 20 points. In total, he had 14 aces to his opponent's 10.

Middlebury captured a third title with the unseeded junior Andrew Jacobi's "B" Flight Championship. Jacobi pulled out a victory over the third seeded Jon Rubenstein of Tufts in a hard fought three set match, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. A little extra drama was added to the title match, as Jacobi and Rubenstein are high school friends and had to go head to head in competition against one another.

Last weekend was yet another successful weekend for Middlebury men's tennis, but it was especially fitting for DiRaimondo to play so well. By overcoming an injury that has been the source of much frustration and inconvenience, he showed his true character as a tennis player and as a person. If it is his last tournament, he will always be remembered as a player who, despite any physical barriers or mental frustrations, was a winner.

Middlebury tennis' fall season concludes with the Dartmouth Invitational on Oct. 24 to 26. The stakes will be slightly higher at this event, as the Panthers will face Division I opponents. Middlebury hopes to hold its own against the higher division for the second time this year and set the tone for continuing their dominance on a national level next spring.